Levemir Use In Pregnancy & Lactation

Pregnancy: Treatment with Levemir can be considered during pregnancy, but any potential benefit must be weighed against a possibly increased risk of an adverse pregnancy outcome.
In general, intensified blood glucose control and monitoring of pregnant women with diabetes are recommended throughout pregnancy and when contemplating pregnancy. Insulin requirements usually fall in the first trimester and increase subsequently during the second and third trimester. After delivery, insulin requirements normally return rapidly to pre-pregnancy values.
In an open-label randomised controlled clinical trial, pregnant women with type 1 diabetes (n=310) were treated in a basal-bolus treatment regimen with Levemir (n=152) or NPH insulin (n=158) as basal insulin, both in combination with NovoRapid. Primary objective of this study was to assess the effect of Levemir on blood glucose regulation in pregnant women with diabetes (see Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics under Actions).
The overall rates of maternal adverse events were similar for Levemir and NPH insulin treatment groups; however, a numerically higher frequency of serious adverse events in the mothers (61 (40%) vs. 49 (31%)) and in the newborn children (36 (24%) vs. 32 (20%)) was seen for Levemir compared to NPH insulin. The number of live born children of women becoming pregnant after randomisation were 50 (83%) for Levemir and 55 (89%) for NPH. The frequency of congenital malformations was 4 (5%) for Levemir and 11 (7%) for NPH with 3 (4%) major malformations for Levemir and 3 (2%) for NPH.
Post-marketing data from an additional 250 outcomes from pregnant women exposed to Levemir indicate no adverse effects of insulin detemir on pregnancy and no malformative or foetal/neonatal toxicity of insulin detemir. Animal data do not indicate reproductive toxicity (see Pharmacology: Toxicology: Preclinical safety data under Actions).
Breast-feeding: It is unknown whether insulin detemir is excreted in human milk. No metabolic effects of ingested insulin detemir on the breast-fed newborn/infant are anticipated since insulin detemir, as a peptide, is digested into amino acids in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Breast-feeding women may require adjustments in insulin dose and diet.
Fertility: Animal studies do not indicate harmful effects with respect to fertility.